West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-05-12
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SIN
DAY SERMON
subject: what Books Shall We
Read? what Pictures
Look At?"

TEXT; Many Of them also trhich used
NrtouS arts brought their books togcthsr
ma burned then, before al ptcn; and thcy
VU',Iu sS,.' .L no Brtcc o them, and found q
Wty h0dSdRo pieces OF Situcr. ~ Acts xix 10.
Paul had been stirring up Fphesus with
some lively sermons about the sdus of that
place. Among the more important results
was the fact that the citizens brought ont
t Sheir bad books, and IN public place made "a
bonfire OF them. see the people coming out
with their arms fun of Ephcsian literature
and tossing it into the flames | hear an
economist standing 10y and saying. stop
this waste. Here are seven thousand 6vs
hundi al dollars worth OF books~do vo,,
propote 20 burn them all upi IL you don't
want TO read item yourselves sell them and
let somebody else read tBcm.n Mo- said
tie peoi g, '1t these books are not good for
us, they are not good for anybody else aud
we shall stand and watch until the Inst leof
has turned TO ashes. They have done us a
world OF harm, and they shall mover do
roarl
Wen, my friends, one OF the wants OF the
clueS OF TINS country is "A great bonfire OF bad
books and newspapers. We have enough fuel
to make blaze 20 feet high Many of tho
publishing houses would do well TO THROW into
the blaze thclr entire stock OF goods Bring
forth the hsutferablc trash and nut IL into the
lire, and let It be known, in the presence OF
Hoi' ,' ana angels, and men, that YOU are going
TO lld your homes Of the ovcrtopping aud un-
derlylng curse OF profigate literature
Ihe printing press Is tho mightieSt agency
ON earth for coed and for evil. Tho minister
Ue Dno G;i1IsPel, standlng IN pulpit, has
as responsible as the position of an editor or n
publisher. At what distant point of time nt
what far out cycle OF eternity, will cease the
influence of n Henry j. RAYMOND or n Hor-
ice Greeley, or a James Gordon Bennett or a
Watson Webb, or an Erastus Brooks. or n
dhomas klnsellat Take the simple statistics
hat our New York dailies now have a circu-
ntion OF about eight hundred and fifty thou
sand per day, and add TO il the fact that three
OF our weekly periodicals. have an Rggre.
gate circulation OF about ono million, and
then cipher, II you eau, how far up, and how
far down, and how far out, reach the influences
or the American printing press Great Godl
what Is TO be the issue of all thisi / believe
the Lord intends the printing press TO 10 the
means for the worlds rescue and evangeliza-
ion, and l think that the great last battle az
the world will not be fought with swords and
guns, but with types and presses-a purified
and gospel literature triumphing over tramp
ling down and crushing out forever that
which is depravcd. The only wav To over
come uncean literature is by scattering
abroad that which is healthfui. May God
speed the cylinders Of an honest, intelligent
aggressive, Christian printing press.
have To tell you this morning that tho
greatest blessing that ever came TO this nation
Is that Of an elevated literature, and the great
est scourge has been that OF unclean lit erature
This last has its victims in all occupation and
departments. It has helped 10 MI insane osv-
lum' and pcniteut!arics, and almshouscs and
de'.- OF shame The bodies of this infection
lie in tho hospitals ana in the graves, while
then souls are being tossed over into a lost
eternity, an avalanche Of horror and despairl
The London plague was nothing 10 IT, That
counted ITS victims by thousands, but this
modern pest has already shovellcd its millions
into the charnel house OF the morally dead
The longest rail-train that ever ran over the
Hudson lie gsrae rf
or large enough TO carry tho beastlness aud
the putrefactlon which have been gathered
up IN bad books and newspapers of this land
in the last twenty years.
Now, IL is amid such circumstances that
put, this morning, question OF Overmnster-
ing Importance 10 you and your families
What books and newspapers shall we readI
Iou see group them together. A news
paper rs only a book in swifter aud moro
portable shape, and the same rules which will
apply 70 book reading will apply 10 news
paper reading. What shall we readi Shall
our minds be the receptacle OF everything
that an author has n mind 20 writof Shall
there DO no distinction between the tree Of
life and the tree Of deathf Shall we stoop
down and drink out Of the trough which the
Wickedness OF men has filed with pollution
and shamei Shall we mire in impuTity. and
chase fantastic will-O-the wispS across the
swamps, when we might walk in the bloom
ing gardens Of Godi o no! For the sake OF
our present and everlasting welfare we must
r..
Standing, as we do, chin deep in fictitious
literature, the first question that many OF the
young people are asking me is "Shall we
read novels" ] reply: There arc novels
that are pure, good, Christian, elevating 10
the heart and ennobing 10 the life. But
have still further-to say that / believe that
ninety nine out Ot the one hundred novels in
this day are baleful and destructive 10 the
last degree. A pure work Of fiction is history
and poetry combined 10 Is a history Of
things around ms, with tho licences aud the
assumed names Of poetry. The world can
never pay the debt which IL owes
u such fictitious writers rs Hawthorne and
Mckenzie, and LandOn and Hunt. and
a thur and Marion Harland, and others
whose names are familiar TO all ThefOllies OF
nigh life were never better exposed than by
Miss EdRcwOrth. The memories Of the past
were never more faithfully embalmed Than
In the writings Of Walter Scott Coopcr's
novels arc BEAUTIFULLY redOlcnt with the
breath OF the soaweed, and the air ~ tho
American forest Charles Kingsley has
smitten the morbidty Of the world and led n
great many 20 appreciate tho poetry Of sound
health, strong muscles, and fresh air. Thnck.
cray did a grand work In caricaturing the pre-
telders 70 gentilitY and high blood Dickens
has built his own monument I'm his books
which are an everlasting plea for the poor.
and the anathema Of injustice Now I saw
books like these read at right times, and read
I'm right proportion with other books, cannot
hclD but be ennobling and purifying. but
Mas Tor tho loathsomo and impure literature
that has come upon this country in the shape
OF novels, like a frcshct OvcrflOwiug all the
banks ofdccency and common sensel They arc
coming from Some Of tho most celebrated pub.
fishing houses ofthe country They are coming
with recommendation Of some Of our religious
newspapers. They lio on your ccntre table
- curse your children, and blast with their
internal fires generations unborn. You find
these books in the desk Of the school miss. in
the trunk Of the young man, in the steamboat
cabin, ON the table Of the hotel recoption
room. You SEQ n light in your childs room
late ~ night You suddenly 20 in and say.
"Whnt arc you doing" ~ am reading
what are you TcadingF "a book You
look at tho book it rs n bad book "Whers
did YOU get itF "T borrowed it7 Alas,
there are always thosc abroad who would
like 70 loan your son or daughter
bad book Everywhere, ovcrywhercan un-
J clean literature ! charge upon IL tho destric-
ton of ton thousand immortal a0us. and
bid you this morning wake up 70 the maRni-
tude OF tho theme. J shall take on the worlds
| literature good novels ond bad. travels true
and false, histories faithful and incorrect.
legends beautiful and monstrous all tracts
OH chronicles, ail epilogucs, an family. CITY
state and national libfaries-and pile them
up in pyramid of literature and then shall
bring go bear upon BIZ some grand, glorious.
| iniallihle, uumIstakabie Christian principles
bod help me 90 speak with reference to my
last account. and God help you % listen
] charge You, m the first place 10 stand
aioof from al hooks that give false pictures
ID HHHHHHH .H 49,.